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TR2/3/3A TR3 Silent-bloc Bushand Pin Assemblies

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My car failed its MOT (safety check) because the tester thought there was too much play in the silent blocks. I replaced them with steel pins and brass bushes as sold by Revingon TR. There is certainly no play now and it passes its MOT no problem. It takes a little work to fit them as you have to press in the brass bush and then drill through the tie bar and bush and tap it to take a grease nipple. Then the brass bush has to be reamed. It's worth the effort, though.
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When I pulled my suspension and steering apart, the rubber in one of the silent-bloc bushings was completely disintergrated, and there was alot of play in the fitting. Actually, it was ready to fall out. A visual inspection while having someone turn the steering wheel back and forth will show any problems with that assembly. It's not a great design, and any change from original should be an improvement.
 
Boy I'm glad we got no Mot here. Half the hot rods on the road would be garaged.
Or,
They be safer on the road.
 
Yeh, they can be pretty strict. There was nothing wrong with the original silent blocks, but the tester just wasn't familiar with older cars.
Corrosion is the big killer, though. Any repairs to sills or structural areas have to have continuous welds around any patch.
 
I actually installed the same units as Nick (tho I got them through BFE, who probably got them from Revington). In addition to the work Nick mentions, I had to add a shim to one and file the other down to get the clearances right.

However the ones sold by TRF (and referenced above) were designed by Joe Alexander to be equivalent to the brass/SS ones, at significantly lower cost. Haven't had a chance to try mine yet (Joe only got the first run made a few months ago) but I'm confident they will work just as well. Joe says not to grease them (but I probably will anyway).
 
I concur with Box and Art's comments. Failure while driving is very scary and surviving it is a cause for prayer.

The parts Nick used seem to be a very good replacement and an upgrade to the original parts, the only possible draw back is the need for some machine work. The TRF offering appears to not need any machine work and the delrin bushing won't need greasing and should stiff like the brass bushing.

Replacement with the original silent-bloc bushing requires the steering cross rod to be removed from the car. The old parts are removed and then you heat the bar to expand the bore while cooling the silent-bloc bushing in dry ice to contract it. The silent-bloc part is then quickly inserted in the bore and some force might also be needed while taking care not to burn or freeze fingers and hands. This has to be done right on the first try because additional heat can damage the rubber. I think either of replacement types would be easier to install.

IMHO I would go with the TRF derlin steering pins. however both of these replacements are superior to replacement with the original design silent-bloc bushing and pin assembly.
 
BOXoROCKS said:
...when you lose steering,...its worn.When you get home alive, you're blessed.
Click to expand...
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif TD, I had my heart leap out of my mouth when I got to the bottom of a long freeway grade, and turned the wheel; seemingly no steering until considerable inches later.... whew!

I had installed the normal TRF silentblocs; just 3 weeks later, Joe Alexander released his new design. The new 'blocs work fine, but 47 years from now, I'll replace them w/ Joe's. Also a good time to check the idler arm, etc. ....
 
I got a set of the new design from TRF, but haven't installed them (bigger things first). But the directions that came with mine don't say anything about heating or cooling anything. They say to "Press the Delrin bush into the center tie rod holes..." and go into detal how far and that one end should protrude from the bottom.

Since I have yet to drive the car, I will not know how much better it is, but it seems logical to me that it will be.

Jer
 
Aloha Jer,

I agree that the new derlin design will not require heating.

I was describing a replacement using the original style silent-bloc bushing. I edited my post to make it that more clear.
 
I just rebuilt my front-end last winter - before Joe Alexander (ARE) made up the delrin kits. But if I was to it again, I'd either use Joe A's ($40) kit, or the SS and bronze kit from BFE ($100).

My OEM style replacements from Moss are working fine though and steering is tight - a good thing!
 
MGTF1250Dave said:
The old parts are removed and then you heat the bar to expand the bore while cooling the silent-bloc bushing in dry ice to contract it.
Click to expand...
When I did mine with Silentblocs (before the brass/SS version), I just pressed them in with a bench vise. Went in easily, no drama at all. ISTR I used a socket or something to apply force to the flange directly over the sleeve so as not to strain the rubber.
 
TR3driver said:
MGTF1250Dave said:
The old parts are removed and then you heat the bar to expand the bore while cooling the silent-bloc bushing in dry ice to contract it.
Click to expand...
When I did mine with Silentblocs (before the brass/SS version), I just pressed them in with a bench vise. Went in easily, no drama at all. ISTR I used a socket or something to apply force to the flange directly over the sleeve so as not to strain the rubber.
Click to expand...

Same here. I avoid heating suspension components when unnecessary.

Pressed out the old silent blocs - first the rubber inserts popped out then I used a socket to press the outer steel shells out. (I noticed a small cut around the preimeter of one side of the center link where someone used the hacksaw method to previously remove a shell.) The new ones just pressed in nicely. I would think that the heat and dry ice would stress the rubber bonds on the new ones.
 
Thot this might be interesting to someone :
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&viewitem=&item=170188796457

BTW, tdskip, the main reason I switched was because the replacement Silentblocs weren't holding up for me. Dunno whether it was LA smog or poor quality replacement parts, but it seemed that the rubber would come loose from the steel pin in just a few years. And it was enough of a PITA to replace them that I was willing to pay the extra price for something that would last (nearly) forever.
 
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